War of everyone against everyone will be necessarily used against us all, Bishop Borys (Gudziak) says

Bishop Borys (Gudziak) of the UGCC commented in the interview with “Ukrayinska Pravda” of December 12, why is it so difficult today to overcome political corruption in Ukraine, why the current authorities follow the practices of Yanukovych's regime, and why such antagonism and divisions exist today.

“Our authorities, education, medicine, ecclesial life are all components of our multi-faceted society, which has certain common denominators. It is all generated by certain historical processes, and we cannot lose that inheritance at one moment.

There are people who were educated under certain paradigms, and it is difficult for them to get beyond them. With the change of generation, many things change, but not all at once. For example, today many students pay bribes because they do not want to study. Although, they seem to have all the possibilities to think and act differently. However, some of them do not pay, they change the system by their own example, heal it.

One should look even wider and understand that not all virtues or vices belong to us. The entire world struggles with populism, political corruption. Look at the world elite. What kind of political rhetoric reigns in America today? How the deconstruction of the European Union, which pacified the countries that were at war every 10 or 25 years, is going on?

All of these examples show that it's easy to destroy and override positive achievements. At the same time, there is always a chance to rebuild, heal, reform, move forward,” says Bishop Borys.

Answering the question “What should we expect next?” the bishop replied:

“I belong to people who live in hope, more in hope than optimism. But I think that the process of reform will be dialectical: some people will pull it upwards, the others will pull it down.

Now I am afraid the most of the war of everyone against everyone, the spread of hatred. And I would like to call on the authorities and society, journalists, reformers, and those who aggrieve the loss of certain traditions, to be able to listen to each other.

Many believe that it is necessary to act radically, cut and hack. This is unlikely to bring the desired result.

I'm afraid that the mishmash of our life begins to boil again. There are great changes. But there is also a lot of outrage. So far, we had the Revolution on Granite, the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity, which displayed the incredible nobility of our people.

Once it will be comprehended, depicted, cinematized - the endurance and depth of the Ukrainian spiritual, Borys and Glib’s traditions of sacrifice (Princes Borys and Glib, who in the XI century showed an example of non-violence refusing to start a fight against their brother, they sacrificed their lives – Ukraiynska Pravda) will be appreciated.

I am afraid that unprincipled people in power on the one hand, and on the other - provocateurs, domestic and international ones, can create such a situation that the resentful people will lose their patience, and this will lead to a social blast and bloodshed. And it will surely be used against all of us.

Therefore, we need to approach the issues creatively and critically. Rightful anger is an important motive in society, but it must not become rage that fails to consider the consequences.

... In this pre-Christmas time, it's important for us to think about how to ascertain there is no war against everyone, how to make our struggle and criticism constructive, how not to be populists, who offer attractive slogans, but do not think about the possibilities of their implementation.

Recently I have seen many divisions that personally hurt me.

I love Lviv and have good relations with many people in this city. The dispute between the city and oblast administration is painful for me. Both the city and the district leaders were once members of the same team. Today, hostility between them is a political battle. And because of this people are suffering and will suffer. On the contrary, their healthy competition and constructive cooperation could do a lot for Lviv and the region.

I am grateful to Ulyana Suprun, and I actively support her. But I also respect Olga Bogomolets, and feel pain because of the lack of consent between them. I believe it is important that such figures find a common language.

Discord and unfair communication, mutual humiliation in our politicking exhaust the entire nation. Cynical methods to defeat the opponent generate anger and hatred. Defense of the state, principles, party or personal ambitions should be moral.

The fate of some of our previous presidents and politicians suggests that evil has the property of a boomerang. The saddest thing is that in its flight it affects the fate of millions of people. The words of humiliation and blasphemy are becoming widespread, global political discourse is degrading at a time when the Ukrainian one should develop.

Words and promises are extremely important. One should keep the promises given. We must maintain the position of humanism.”